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So I'm in the process if 'tweaking' my new dual boot install of Fedora 19. I put it in next to Windows 7 and everything seems to be working fine.

It's been a learning process to be sure and once I got the online video-viewing issue worked out, I've moved on to installing some apps that I'm used to having in my Windows environment and what I've come up against is a constant "authentication failure" message when I'm attempting to install anything via the CLI.

I did set up a password when I created my account and I can log in everyday without issue - I'm in it now. I checked under Settings > Users and I can see my account and it's the only one and it has a password. It kinda looks like this:

So now I'm trying to install VLC player for Fedora and I'm following this guide but when ever I try Step 1, I'm running into this message:

This has happened every time I've tried to install something. I've tried to read through some documentation online, and, as you might suspect, there is a great deal of it but none that I could find that would explain why the password that I created for this account won't work here.

I feel like I'm missing something obvious and I'm past feeling embarrassed about it. This tweaking has left me humbled but I guess I kind of knew what I was trying on when I installed it.

Anyone have any ideas as to what the resolve is here? I haven't loaded too much with this install, so even if I'm presented with the possibility of a fresh install (groan) I will understand.

Unlike PackageKit, where the system administrator may choose to allow non-administrative users to install software, yum requires administrator authentication. There are three ways this can be done:

You may switch to the root user with the su command:

[jjmcd@Cimbaoth ~]$ su -

Password:

[root@Cimbaoth ~]# yum install xastir

Loaded plugins: presto, refresh-packagekit

...

This is the least desireable method. You must enter the root password, and you can easily forget that you are operating as root. As the root user you can do unlimited damage.

You may use the su command with the -c switch. This allows you to enter the single yum command as root, but immediately switches back to your normal user:

[jjmcd@Cimbaoth ~]$ su - 'yum install fldigi'

Password:

Loaded plugins: presto, refresh-packagekit

...

Notice that you must surround the command with quotation marks or apostrophes. This still requires you to type the password, and is somewhat more annoying to type, but does not leave you as root ready to do damage.

If the adminstrator has set you up in the sudoers file, you may use the sudo command:

[jjmcd@Cimbaoth ~]$ sudo yum install wxapt

Loaded plugins: presto, refresh-packagekit

...

This has several advantages; you don't need to type the password, you are not left in a dangerous position, and if desired, the administrator can limit you to a select set of commands so you do not inadvertently cause damage.

Because this is the preferred approach, the examples in this guide use this method. However, it does require setup ahead of time.

quote:He that would live in peace & at ease, Must not speak all he knows,nor judge all he sees.'

Hey there rburkartjo, thanks for the quick response and for the information.

So, I didn't quite understand everything you posted here. I guess I'm still not understanding the difference between the su command (?) and the sudo.

I entered in the last set of instructions you posted, which looked like this:

And as you might be able to tell, that worked like a charm. I had previously tried to install (as I'd already downloaded) Adobe Flash Player and once I'd entered this initial instructions, there was the Adobe, which installed right away.

I then attempted to install the VLC Media Player, typing in (without any quotes) sudo yum install vlc mozilla-vlc and *boom* it happened like a charm. Threw everything I could at it: wmv files, 3g2, mpeg, mp4 and all of it played seamlessly, with sound.

So, when I run that sudo command...am I running as root, or is this the preferred method?

I would like the safest route - don't need / want the easy one - and I don't mind typing in the password several times if I need to, I know others think this is a nuisance but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Please let me know when you've a moment and again, thank you thank you for taking the time and providing some great information.

What users this is allowed for, and what commands it's allowed for, is controlled by the /etc/sudoers file. When you're running sudo, you're not putting in the root password.

You're putting in the user password. When you're running a command with sudo, you're running a command as a normal user with admin-like permissions. But a sudoer is not a true admin, though he may have admin-like rights

The How-To Geek explains here that "The su command switches to the super user – or root user – when you execute it with no additional options. You’ll have to enter the root account’s password."

The article also goes on to say, "Sudo runs a single command with root privileges. When you execute sudo command, the system prompts you for your current user account’s password before running command as the root user" (Bold is from the article, not mine)